Closure



April 1s, 1939.` F. G, THwms cLQsURE Filed Nov. 16, 1936f 2 Sheets-Sheet1 INVENTOR.

April 18, 1939. F. G. THwAlTs 2,154,545

CLOSURE Filed Nov. 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 C7 c7 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES CLOSURE Frederick G. Thwaits,Wauwatosa,

Wis., assignor to The Heil Co., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation ofWisconsin Application November 16, 1936, Serial No. 111.038

4 Claims.

My present invention relates in general to improvements in theconstruction and operation of closures, and relates more particularly toimprovements in manhole covers for tanks and to improved mechanism formanipulating and lfor sealing such covers.

An object of the present invention is to provide simple and efficientclosure mechanism which may be readily and safely manipulated.

Another more specific object of my invention is to provide a durableclosure assemblage which may be conveniently adjusted to effect tightsealing at all times when the closure cover is in closed position.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide -a new and`useful closure especially adapted for cooperation with the manhole of avehicular tank wherein streamlined appearance is desirable.

Still another specific object of my invention is the provision ofimproved latching and release mechanism for closure covers, which isfreely accessible for manipulation and adjustment of parts, and which isnormally protected against damage.

An additional specic object of the invention is the provision ofimproved closure mechanism wherein the closure cover is automaticallylatched in sealed condition when it is swung or dropped into closedposition.

Another specific object of this invention is the provision of improvedmanipulating mechanism which enables quick release and opening of amanhole closure or the like.

A further specific object of the present invention is' the provision ofan improved manhole and closure assemblage which may be applied to acontainer as a complete unit, and which can be manufactured at moderatecost.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of embodiments of the improved features, and of theconstruction and ,5 operation of a manhole closure and actuatingmechanism which is built in accordance with this invention, may be hadby referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of thisspecication wher-ein like reference charac- 0 ters designate the same orsimilar parts in the various views.

Fig. 1 is a top View of one of the improved closure assemblages, showingthe same applied to a fragment of a tank and with the cover s latched inclosed position;

(Cl. 22o-57) Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the assemblageof Fig. 1, showing the hinge portion thereof in elevation 4and alsoshowing the cover latched in closed position;

Fig. 3 is a part sectional elevation of the clo- 5 sure assembly,showing the latch released and the cover elevated to avoid compressionof the sealing ring but still in closed position;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the major portion of the assemblage but asection through the latch, 10 showing the cover in fully openedposition; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the assemblage with thecover sealed, the section having been taken along the line 5-5 of Fig.2.

Although the invention has been shown and l! described herein as beingspecifically embodied in a manhole closure assembly for streamlinedvehicular liquid transporting tanks, it is not the intent to therebyunnecessarily restrict the scope, since some of the novel features maybe susceptible of more general application or use.

Referring to the drawings, the improved closure assemblage shown thereincomprises in general a rigid frame or support 8 having a centralcircular opening 9 surrounded by an upwardly 25 projecting continuousannular seating I D; a cover I I having a lower recess provided with acontinuous annular compressibl-e or resilient sealing ring I2 adapted tosnugly engage the seating l0; a double main levervIS swingably mountedupon the support 8 by means of a front pivot pin III and having a medialhousing I 5 within which the cover II is swingably suspended by means ofan adjustable pivot pin I6; and latching mechanism consisting of aspring pressed retaining latch I1 swingably supported upon the support 8by a pivot pin I8 and cooperable with a transverse latching rod I9carried by the swinging end of the lever I3, and a rel-easing lever 2Dalso swingably mounted upon the support 8 by a pivot 40 pin 2| andcoacting with the latch I'l through a cam 22.

The frame or support 8 may be welded or otherwise permanently attachedto a tank shell 23, and has a continuous apron 24 depending 45 into theliquid confining compartment of the tank. The front end of the support 8is provided with integral upwardly extending ears 25 which support thefront pivot pin I4, and is also provided with a vertically adjustablecentral stop screw 26 which is adapted to engage. a transverse web 21 onthe lever I3 so as to limit the opening *movement of the cover II asshown in Fig. 4. The rear portion of the support 8 is likewise providedwith integral upstanding ears 28 which 55 carry the pivot pins I8, 2l asshown in Figs. l and 2, the ears 28 being disposed within thestreamlined side bars of the lever I3 when the cover II is in sealedposition.

The closure cover II which carries the compressible sealing ring I2, andwhich is adjustably associated with its suspension pin I6, has anintegral inverted cup-shaped medial portion 29 which projects upwardlyinto the lever housing I5 as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5. Thelower end of the cover portion 29 is normally sealed by a removableplate 30 from which a vent valve assemblage 3I is suspended, thisassemblage preferably being of the type shown and described inco-pending application Serial No. 70,983, filed March 26, 1936, by H. A.Strelow. A relatively powerful compression spring 32 directly engagesthe bottom plate 30, at is lower end, and reacts at its upper endagainst a top plate 33 having a central lug 34 which embraces thegrooved mid-portion of the pivot pin I 6, and the opposite ends of thepin I6 are snugly fitted in openings in the lever I3 but are free fromdirect contact with the sides of the cover portion 29 which are piercedby this pin. The pivot pin I 6 is held against axial shifting by aset-screw 35 having screw thread coaction with the upper central part ofthe cup-shaped portion 29, and also having a lower point engageable withthe lug 34 and with the central groove of the pin I6; and this set-screw35 is manipulable to vary the compression of the spring 32 and may belocked in adjusted position by a nut 36. The set-screw 35 and the nut 36are accessible for manipulation through an opening in the lever housingI5 which is normally closed by a removable plate 31, and the pivot pin I6 is normally locked to the lever I3 by means of another setscrew 38shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

The lever latching rod I9 is rigidly attached to the swinging end of thelever I3 and spans the space between the side bars thereof, and theretaining latch I1 which is pivotally suspended from the pivot pin I 8,is constantly urged to swing in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figs.2, 3 and 4, by means of a coil spring 39 which embraces the pin I8 andhas end portions engaging the support 8 and the latch I1 respectively.The front noseportion 4U of the latch I1 has an arcuate or inclinedupper surface which is adapted to be engaged by the latch rod I9 whenthe lever I3 is swung into cover closing position, to thereby swing thelatch I1 away from the path of travel of the rod I9, and the portion 4ualso has a lower retaining surface 4I cooperable with the rod I9 duringsealing of the cover II. The latch I'I also has an integral lower stop42 which is engageable with the top of the support B to positively limitthe forward swinging of the latch by the spring 39 when the cover I I isopen; and the rear upper portion of the latch I1 is provided with anintegral actuating projection 43 and with a depending wall 44, thelatter of which cooperates with the rear surface of the latch to form asocket 45.

The latch manipulating and releasing lever 20 which is swingablysuspended from the pivot pin 2|, is of U-shaped formation as shown inFig. 1, and one of the side arms of this lever 20 is provided with anoutwardly extending pin 46 which is engageable with the rear surface ofone of the ears 28 to limit the downward swinging motion of the lever 2Das indicated in Fig. 3. The lever 20 and the cam 22 are rigidly attachedto the pivot pin 2| so as to swing in unison, and the cam 22 which isdisposed within the latch socket interchangeably cooperable with thewall 44 and with the rear surface of the latch I1 to either retract thislatch as shown in Fig. 3 or to hold the same in latching position asshown in Fig. 2.

When the improved closure unit has been properly assembled, adjusted andapplied to a tank shell 23, the cover II may be opened or closed at willin the following manner. Assuming the cover II to be in closed andsealed condition as shown in Fig. 2, the sealing ring I2 is then pressedinto snug engagement with the annular seating III by the compressionspring 32 which coacts with the cover through the lower plate 30 andreacts against the locked lever I3 through the upper plate 33 and pivotpin I6. In order to release the lever I3 preparatory to opening of thecover II, it is only necessary to grasp the locking lever 20 and toswing the same to the position shown in Fig. 3 with the stop pin 46 inengagement with the adjacent ear 28. As the lever 2D is thus swungrearwardly, the cam 22 will rotate with the pivot pin 2| and will engagethe rear latch wall 44, thereby swinging the latch I1 in acounter-clockwise direction and subjecting the coil spring 39 toadditional tension. As soon as the latch I1 is thus retracted andfrictionally retained, the spring 32 will become effective to elevatethe lever I3 slightly and to thereby release the excess pressure actingupon the resilient sealing ring I2, and the ring I2 will then expand andwill rest freely upon the seating I0 as indicated in Fig. 3. With thelatch I1 thus positioned to clear'the rod I9, the lever I3 maysubsequently be swung into open position as illustrated in Fig. 4, withthe web 21 engaging the stop screw 26, thereby fully opening the coverII and retaining the same in open position. The interior of the tank 23will then be freely accessible through the opening 9, and future closingof the cover II may be effected by merely swinging the lever I3 so thatthe center of gravity of the cover and main lever assembly is disposedrearwardly of the pivot I4. The cover II and lever I3 will thereafterdrop by gravity toward closed position; and if the latch I1 and lever 2Uhave been pre-set as shown in Fig. 4, the descending rod I9 uponstriking the inclined nose portion 40 of the latch I1, willautomatically swing ,this latch rearwardly and will snap into positionbeneath the latch surface 4I. The momentarily excessively stressed coilspring 39 will thereafter become quickly effective to automaticallyreturn the latch I1 and the locking lever 20 to the position illustratedin Fig. 2. In case the latch I1 and the lever 20 have not been pre-setto the position shown in Fig. 4, but are still in the position indicatedin Fig. 3, then nal latching and locking of the initially closed cover II may be quickly manually effected by merely swinging the lever 20forwardly into nal locking and retaining position whereupon the spring39 will simultaneously function to swing the latch I1 over the rod I9.

The stop screw 26 may obviously be readily adjusted to properly positionthe lever I3 and the cover I I in open position, and proper seatingcoaction between the ring I2 and seating I0 may be conveniently effectedby nierely removing the plate 31, releasing the lock nut 36, and bymanipulating the adjusting screw 35. If the set-screw 35 is turned toincrease the compression of the spring 32 between the plates 30, 33, thesealing contact between the ring I2 and the seating III wwill beincreased as the lever I3 is forced into latching position, and viceversa, so that any desired sealing pressure may be obtained. The

45 is cover II may also be readily removed from the 75 lever I3, bymerely withdrawing the set-screw 35 from the central groove in thesuspension pin I6, and by subsequently releasing the retaining screw 38and withdrawing the pin I6 longitudinally from its bearings. The stop 42obviously limits the forward swinging motion of the latch I'I, and thislatch may also be manipulated independently of the lever 20 with the aidof the projection 43. If so desired, the lever 20 and the cam 22 may becompletely removed, `and the pin 46 normally functions to limit therearward and downward swinging motion of the lever 20.

From the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that mypresent invention provides an exceedingly simple assemblage forautomatically closing and for locking a cover in closed position. Whenthe lever 20 is swung forwardly, the latch I1 is positively locked inclosed position, and the sealing ring I 2 is caused to snugly engage theseating I0 by the resilient connection between the cover II and thelever I3 aiorded-by the spring 32. The tension of this spring 32 mayobviously be readily adjusted to vary the sealing pressure, and thecover II may be-either automatically sealed or manually manipulated toeffect sealing. The' universal motion permitting *connection interposedbetween the cover II and its supporting lever I3 is also of considerableimportance since it permits the seal I2 to uniformly -snugly engage allportions of the seating III thereby insuring tight sealing. 'I'heassemblage is obviously extremely compact anddurable in construction,and all parts thereof are conveniently acessible for inspection. Theparticular assemblage illustrated in the drawings is especially suitedfor use in conjunction with streamlined vehicular tanks, and thelatching mechanism is eilectively protected against damage, beingconcealed between the side bars of the main actuating lever I3. 'I'heassemblage may also be utilized either with or without the final lockinglever 2li. but the use of this lever is not. essentialV 'I'he assemblagemay moreover be built and installed as a compact unit, and may bereadily applied to tanks or other containers wherein tight sealingduring normal use is a prerequisite.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the presentinvention to the exact details of construction and to the precise modeof operation herein shown and described, for various modiilcationswithin the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled inthe art. f

I claim:

1. In combination, a support having an opening, a lever pivotallysuspended to swing across said opening, a closure cover pivotallysuspended from said lever and being cooperable with said support to sealsaid opening, and resilient means interposed between said cover and itssuspension pivot, said means being adjustable to vary thesealing'pressure and the axes of the lever and cover suspension pivotsbeing approximately parallel to each other.

2. In combination, a support having an opening surrounded by an annularseating, a lever pivotally mounted at one side of said opening forswinging movement acrossthe opening, a closure cover pivotally suspendedfrom a medial portion of said lever and being cooperable with saidseating to seal said opening, and a spring interposed between said coverand its suspension pivot, said spring being adjustable to vary thesealing pres' sure and the axes of the cover and lever suspensiilnpivots being approximately parallel to each ot er.

3. In combination, a support having an opening, a over for closing saidopening, a lever for swinging said cover toward said opening, a latchpivotally suspended from said support and having a retaining surfaceengageable with a swinging end portion of said lever to hold said coverin closed position, a spring coacting with said latch to constantly urgethe sametoward lever engaging position, and a locking lever pivotallysuspended independently of saidv latch and having a locking portionengageable with said latch remote from its suspension pivot, said latchand locking lever being movable about their suspension pivots into leverengaging and retaining position by said spring when said lever and coverare swung into closed position.

4. In combination, a support having an opening, a cover for closing saidopening, a lever pivotally suspended to swing said cover toward saidopening, a latch pivotally suspended to swing toward said lever andhaving a retaining surface engageable with a swinging end portion oi'said lever to hold said cover in closed position. a spring coacting withsaid latch to constantly urge the same about its supporting pivot towardlever engaging position, and a locking lever pivotally suspendedindependently of 4said latch and having a cam portion engageable withsaid latch remote from its suspension pivot to positively lock theAlatch in lever engasing Position.

FREDERICK G.

